They took unlikely paths, but the Spurs and Pelicans have a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
After rough starts to the 2021-22 season, both the Spurs and Pelicans looked as though they were both heading to the lottery, but each team bounced back to reach this point.
New Orleans lost 12 of its first 13 regular season games, dropping all the way down to last place in the Western Conference standings in mid-November. The Pels never gave up, though, taking a big swing at the trade deadline by acquiring CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell in a deal with the Trail Blazers. They finished over .500 during the final two-plus months to secure the No. 9 seed.
MORE: NBA Play-In Tournament, explained
San Antonio followed a similar trajectory, losing 13 of its first 17 regular season games. Unlike the Pelicans, the Spurs decided to become sellers at the trade deadline and seemingly signaled they weren't chasing an NBA Playoff berth. Then, the Lakers collapsed down the stretch, and the Spurs surprisingly snagged the No. 10 seed.
Here is everything you need to know to watch Spurs vs. Pelicans, including the tipoff time and TV channel for Wednesday's game.
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How to watch Spurs vs. Pelicans: NBA League Pass and television broadcast schedule
- Date: Wednesday, April 13 (ET)
- Streaming: NBA League Pass
You can watch Spurs vs. Pelicans on NBA League Pass outside of the United States.
For the television broadcast information in your country, click here and select your country from the dropdown menu.
Spurs vs. Pelicans start time
- Date: Wednesday, April 13 (ET)
- Start time: 9:30 p.m. (ET)
The 9:30 p.m. ET tipoff marks the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader. Hornets vs. Hawks is the first game of the day.
How does the NBA Play-In Tournament work?
- The NBA Play-In Tournament will be held after the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season and before the start of the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. The teams that finish Nos. 1-6 in the standings of each conference will be guaranteed playoff spots. Teams Nos. 7-10 will enter the Play-In Tournament.
- Each conference's Nos. 7 and 8 teams will face off, with the winner earning the No. 7 seed in the playoffs. The loser will still have one more opportunity to reach the playoffs.
- Each conference's Nos. 9 and 10 teams will face off, with the winner advancing to play the loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game. The loser of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will be eliminated from playoff contention.
- The loser of the No. 7-vs.-No. 8 game and the winner of the No. 9-vs.-No. 10 game will then play against each other. The winner of that game will be the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. The loser will be eliminated from playoff contention.
- Beyond the Play-In Tournament, the 2022 NBA Playoffs will follow the typical format, with full best-of-seven series all the way through the NBA Finals.
NBA Play-In Tournament schedule
April 12
| Game |
| Nets 115, Cavaliers 108 |
| Timberwolves 109, Clippers 104 |
April 13
| Game | Time (ET) |
| Hornets vs. Hawks | 7 p.m. |
| Spurs vs. Pelicans | 9:30 p.m. |
April 15
| Game | Time (ET) |
| TBD vs. Cavaliers | 7:30 p.m. |
| TBD vs. Clippers | 10 p.m. |
